1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus and an image processing method.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, imaging devices equipped with a continuous imaging function for continuously taking a plurality of images are becoming widespread. In addition, the plurality of images taken using the continuous imaging function are synthesized into one image, and accordingly, a technique for forming an image with a higher image quality than the image before synthesization has been developed. Such synthesization processing of images is automatically executed in the imaging device or executed on a personal computer (hereinafter, referred to as PC) by transferring image data to the PC. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-41170 discloses a technique for synthesizing a plurality of images are automatically with an imaging device, and displaying synthesization image thereof displayed as one still image.
The synthesization of images, for example, is used for forming a panoramic image by synthesizing images having different imaging ranges. In addition, a technique is known in which a plurality of images taken while moving by the amount of movement no more than a pixel size that an image sensor has are synthesized, and accordingly, an image with higher resolution than resolution of the image sensor is formed. Incidentally, there is also a case where although continuously taken images are not synthesized, for example, continuous imaging is performed to help a photographer select an image conforming to his/her intention from a plurality of continuously taken images. Specifically, continuous imaging may be used in order to avoid an image in which a person blinks at a time of imaging, or an unintended object is included in an imaging range.